Despite a stay order by the Gujarat High Court, the Nazarbaug Palace in Mandvi is being demolished on Monday. (Express photo by Bhupendra Rana)

Vadodra |
June 3, 2014 12:47 pm

Even as the Nazarbaug Palace in Mandvi continued to be reduced to rubble on the third consecutive day on Monday – despite a Gujarat High Court stay order – BJP Councillor Shailesh Mehta Sotta dashed out an unflattering letter to Vadodara Municipal Commissioner (VMC) Manish Bharadwaj blaming the “inaction” of the civic body for the fate of 19th century structure.

In his letter, Sotta has blamed the civic body chief for the delay in implementing the state government notification that grants heritage status to buildings of importance in the city, including the Tambekar Wada in the possession of the VMC, which is falling to pieces.

Sotta, who had raised the issue of the Nazarbaug Palace in the corporation’s Budget discussions in February this year, wrote, “I believe, despite our petitions (in February) to form a heritage cell at the earliest to save Nazarbaug, the VMC’s inaction in the matter is the reason that the palace has been demolished. It is unfortunate that the VMC administration is still in its ‘Kumbhakarn sleep’ to the fate heritage structures are meeting in the city. The notification for the heritage committee, according to the state government rules, must be issued right now.”

The HC will hear the PIL for Nazarbaug filed by Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) on Tuesday. Bharadwaj couldn’t be contacted despite several attempts.